A picture may be worth a thousand words, but statistics tell a story too.
Studies by Canadian Agricultural Injury Reporting have found several discernible patterns:
• Roll-over injuries, especially those involving tractors, are the leading cause of death on Canadian farms and ranches. Agricultural equipment run-overs are second.
• Cattle and horses are the leading cause of non-machinery death and injuries.
• Farmers older than 60 suffer 34 percent of all agricultural fatalities and 23.8 percent of agricultural hospitalizations, even though they represent only 13.2 percent of the farming population.
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• Ninety-nine children younger than five, or 14.3 per 100,000 per year, were killed on Canadian farms from 1990 to 2005. The child fatality rate was much higher, at 21.7 per 100,000 per year, if only male children were considered.
“A lot of fatalities occur when people are working (on a tractor) along a road and they get close to the ditch, drop a wheel into the ditch and roll over,” said Don Voaklander, director of the Alberta Centre for Injury Control and Research.
Tractors are top heavy, and turning on slopes is dangerous.
It’s also unsafe to pull loads that are too heavy, which causes tractors to flip over backward.
Hitches that are too high are also hazardous.
“The moral is, don’t try to pull stumps out with tractors.”
Farmers are still using older tractors without roll-over structures. Safety experts advise retrofitting them, but the structures work only if a seatbelt is also used.
Voaklander said entanglements are another major concern.
Make sure power take-offs are guarded and don’t wear loose clothing around them.
“And when you’re cleaning a jammed up machine, turn it off. You might think, ‘I just need to kick that piece of crap out of the pick-up of the baler,’ but you know, if it’s running and the thing’s spinning, it grabs your foot, you’re in serious trouble. Take the time to turn the damned thing off.”
Little boys are more likely to be involved in accident than little girls.
“Child psychologists have done some testing with young boys versus young girls and young boys tend to be less afraid, but they also have an unreal expectation that their chances of making it through something are going to be better,” Voaklander said.
“Little boys will be bigger risk takers because they have a belief that luck is on their side. Girls are a bit more sensibly sceptical.”
Parents need to be aware of this and keep all children away from the work site.
“I know it’s a bit of a stressor because of monetary issues and lack of child care. Everybody’s working off the farm, nobody’s around. But you really have to take a deep breath and say this isn’t right. I can’t be doing this.”
Farmers older than 60 are more likely to be involved in farm accidents than those 15-59.
“We have a lot of fatalities and injuries with farmers in their 70s and 80s working with cattle,” he said.
“They don’t have the dexterity to get out of the way. Cattle are quite undisciplined and unpredictable. If a person is knocked down, they will step all over him, especially if there are a lot of cattle in a confined space. If an older farmer has any movement issues, arthritis or a gamey knee, anything like that might be a good idea not to be working with cattle.”
Farmers should stay in touch, regardless of age.
They should let someone know where they are on a regular basis. If someone is injured, getting help sooner rather than later can make the difference between life and death. Always be near a fully charged cell phone or a walkie-talkie.
